Won't Go Home Without You
by ZaraShade
Summary: AU. Post Judgement Day. JIBBs. This time, he wouldn't let her get away.
1. Chapter 1

Gibbs' thoughts were broken by the shrill ringing of his phone. He decided to ignore it and continued carefully sanding his boat. The ringing stopped only to start again a few seconds later. He muttered under his breath. Couldn't whoever it was just leave him alone? He didn't want to talk to anyone. He went over to his work bench and answered it with a gruff 'what?'.

"Um, hey boss," he heard Tony's voice. "Sorry to call but, uh -,"

"Spit it out, DiNozzo," Gibbs said.

"I just wanted to check you were okay," Tony said, he spoke so quickly it took Gibbs a few seconds to process it.

"I'm fine, DiNozzo," Gibbs growled.

"It's just we were wondering when you're coming back to work?" Tony asked. "None of us have heard from you. You're not in Mexico again are you?"

"No," Gibbs said, "I'm taking time off; it's between me and the Director."

"Okay, boss it's just that -," Tony said, but Gibbs hung up. He wasn't up to this now.

It had been three long weeks since that fateful day when Jenny had been killed. Gibbs remembered calling her to confront her about her involvement in La Grenouille's death and the feeling of his stomach sinking when he heard Tony's apprehensive voice. At first he couldn't believe it.

He had been so angry. He had lost her all those years ago when she had walked out of his life, he didn't think he could bear losing her again. But she was gone. After the case had been finished he had requested immediate leave from Vance. He had retreated to his basement and drank himself into oblivion.

In these last few weeks, he had been through more bourbon than he remembered drinking in years. He just couldn't face the painful memories. He had lost her again. His Jenny… she was gone and she wasn't coming back. How could he go on? How could things ever go back to the way they were?

Ducky had visited a few times in the first week. He was concerned, and so were the rest of his team. Gibbs had refused to talk about Jenny and Ducky had given up eventually, deciding to give him space.

He knew he had to face reality eventually. He had to go back to work and get on with his life. But it all seemed so hard now. He remembered the times he and Jenny had shared. He remembered her laugh and her smile. She was so infuriating but at the same time so endearing. He needed her.

He knew now that he loved her, he had just been too proud to admit to himself before. He had been angry at her for leaving him in Paris all those years ago. He regretted not admitting it earlier, for not telling her how he felt. He wished this nightmare would end and she would walk down his basement stairs as she had done so many times before with that teasing smile on her lips.

But he knew that would never happen again. His redheaded angel was gone.

**

Tony, Ziva, McGee were all down in Abby's lab. It was getting quite late at night but they had just finished a case. Their suspect had given a full confession. Abby's computer screens were plastered with images of Gibbs, just like when he had gone on hiatus in Mexico.

"He'll be back," Tony said.

"How can you be so sure, Tony?" Ziva asked, "After all, he was in a bad state after he heard about Jenny."

"Because he's the boss," Tony said.

"He has to come back," Abby said. "He can't just leave."

"Vance said he was taking some time off," McGee said, "He probably just needs some time to get his head around things. He and Director Shepard were very close, after all."

"But this isn't just a tough case," Tony said, "This is about Jenny. What if he's gone back to Mexico?"

"What happened to 'he'll be back'?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know. I'm not sure about anything anymore!" Tony said, "Director Shepard is gone, Gibbs is 'on leave'."

"Maybe we should go and see him," Ziva suggested.

"He'll just yell at us to leave," McGee said. "He's probably drinking bourbon in his basement."

"We have to do something," Abby said. "We need to show him love and support."

"I don't think he'll appreciate us intruding," McGee said. "The boss is a very private person after all."

"Yeah," Tony said, "He hung up on me when I called. Remember?"

"Well what are we supposed to do?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know," Tony admitted. "We wait, I guess."


	2. Chapter 2

Gibbs paced in his basement. He was sure he was slowly going crazy. The most frustrating thing about that was that he was conscious of his gradual journey to insanity. Is it even possible to be aware you're losing your mind? He had no idea, but he was pretty sure he was.

He had nothing to do except work on his boat. So, he inevitably ended up thinking about Jenny. It didn't help that he couldn't even begin to comprehend the fact she was dead. It just couldn't be true. He could not have lost her again.

He sighed, taking a sip of what was fast becoming his closest companion, and relished the taste of the smooth amber liquid as it slid down his throat. Drinking himself out of conscious thought seemed to be like the best plan of action at the moment.

He frowned as he heard his phone ringing. Damn, why couldn't the world just leave him alone with his self-pity? He swore as the shrill ringing continued to interrupt his thoughts and grudgingly went to answer it. At least he could grumble at the person who dared disturb him. It better not be DiNozzo again, or he was going to get head-slapped into the next millennium some time soon.

"What?" he barked through the cellphone, which he was just about ready to throw against the wall. Why hadn't he turned it off yet? "Hello?" he said when he heard no answer.

No one replied but the person on the other line hung up. This better not be some stupid prank. He tossed the phone rather violently back to the table where it had been residing and he cringed as he heard a cracking noise. Now he needed a new phone.

Maybe, he should go back to work. He was clearly going to end up destroying something here, or go crazy. Actually, both seemed like pretty appealing scenarios to him right now. At least then he wouldn't have to deal with annoying phone calls.

The fact that he was enticed by losing his mind snapped him out of his contemplations. He really needed a released for his anger. What better way to do that than to catch bad guys? He decided to sleep on it and went to get some rest before he did anything stupid.

**

_Gibbs pulled up his car outside the diner. The harsh desert sun light was beating down on him but he didn't notice. All he could think about was the fact that she was dead. He walked up to the entrance of the diner. _

"_Gibbs," Vance said, coming out of the diner and pulling off his latex gloves, "This is my crime scene."_

"_Hey boss," Tony said, appearing besides Vance, his voice lacked its usual cheery tone._

"_What happened?" Gibbs heard himself asking. _

"_Four gunmen," Vance said, "All of them dead. She put up a hell of a fight." _

_Gibbs nodded absently and walked into the diner. Tony and Ziva joined him. Everything seemed like a blur. All he could see was the blood on the ground. Her blood. _

"_When did you get here?" Gibbs asked, his eyes not leaving the blood stain._

"_Vance was on the scene first," Tony said, "He pretty much processed it. Ziva and I got here and we processed outside." _

"_The gunmen," Gibbs said, "Who were they?" _

"_They were here on a hit," Ziva said, "Jenny was the target."_

_Gibbs couldn't bear to see her blood there on the floor any longer. He left the diner and stood outside, trying to control his anger. How could this have happened? Why was she out here by herself in the first place?_

Gibbs jolted awake. He was sweating and could feel his heart racing. He could still see the spot on the floor where her blood had been. He had been having this dream on an almost permanent loop since the incident.

That was it; he was going back to work before he really did lose his mind.

**

Tony, Ziva and McGee were in the bullpen doing paperwork. It was Monday morning and they had no cases at the moment. Tony, of course, was doing more mucking around than paperwork but even his antics didn't have as much conviction as usual.

The elevator doors opened with the familiar 'ding' sound and all three instinctively looked up. They were shocked to find their boss, Gibbs, walk out of the elevator and make his way up to the Director's office. He didn't stop or acknowledge them and they were too surprised to say anything.

Once he was in the Director's office, they all looked at each other in confusion. He had just turned up out of the blue, with no warning, and had gone straight to the Director's office. He was dressed in his usual attire, though he looked more haggard and tired than usual.

"Did you guys see that?" Tony asked, breaking the silence "Or am I starting to hallucinate?"


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs barged into the Director's office without knocking. The office had barely changed, apart from a few of the pictures hanging around, and still screamed 'Jenny' to him. He half expected to see Jenny sitting in her chair with a smirk on her face. Vance was absent from the room, however, presumably in MTAC, so Gibbs decided to wait.

He sat down in the Director's chair, though he still thought of it as 'Jen's chair', knowing it would annoy Vance. The computer made a dinging sound and a 'you have mail' note popped up. Gibbs was about to exit the screen when he noticed the topic of the email was 'Operation Oshimida'. His curiosity was piqued. What was Vance doing with Jen's case still? It should have been closed weeks ago.

He took a moment to make sure Vance wasn't coming before clicking on the email. It immediately opened into the screen. He knew it probably wasn't the best move to be going through your Director's email, but he blamed it on his current lack of judgement.

_Everything is fine. The new plan can be put into action. _

Gibbs narrowed his eyes at the words. What could it mean? The door half opened and he heard voices outside the office so he quickly shut the cryptic message and tried to look like he hadn't just been snooping through the Director's private emails.

He heard Vance say something to his assistant before he entered the office, closing the door behind him. Vance displayed a small look of surprise when he saw Gibbs sitting at his desk, but quickly composed himself.

"Gibbs," he said.

"Director," Gibbs replied.

"I didn't realise it said Director Gibbs on the door," Vance said, raising an eyebrow. Gibbs smirked and stood, walking around the desk. "I assume you're here because you want to come back to work?"

"Got a problem with that, Leon?" Gibbs asked.

"Nope," Vance said. "In future, though, I'd like to be kept in the loop when you go off on immediate leave." Gibbs said nothing, Vance watched him curiously. "You got something to say, Gibbs?"

Gibbs was on the verge of questioning Vance about the email but managed to restrain himself.

"Nope," Gibbs said.

He then left the office and made his way down to autopsy, a thousand thoughts running through his mind.

Why was Vance keeping in contact with someone over 'Operation Oshimida'? Did this have anything to do with Jen's death? What did the person mean by 'everything is fine'? What was this 'new plan' and what did it have to do with?

**

"Do you think he's decided to come back to work?" Tony asked. The three of them were gathered around Tony's desk speculating on the sudden appearance of their boss.

"Well it looks that way," Ziva commented.

"He's either coming back or quitting," McGee said.

"Wash your mouth out, McProbie!" Tony said, head slapping the junior agent.

"I do not believe he would quit," Ziva said, "He is wearing his work attire. Last time, when he was on his 'margarita safari', as you so often put it Tony, he had a beard and was more scraggy looking."

"She does have a point," Tony said, "See, think positive, McGoogle!"

"We will know soon enough anyway," Ziva said.


	4. Chapter 4

"Gibbs," Ducky said with surprise as the autopsy doors slid open, "You're back."

"It looks that way, Duck," Gibbs said. He was glad Palmer wasn't present.

"You could have called," Ducky said accusingly.

"Had a lot to think about," Gibbs said.

"Mmm," Ducky said, "And did you? Think about it, I mean?"

"Did you do Jen's autopsy?" Gibbs questioned. Ducky sighed.

"Stop dwelling, Jethro," Ducky said. "This will consume you." Gibbs said nothing but just stared at his friend, waiting for an answer. "No, the autopsy was done in Los Angeles considering the urgency. The new Director's orders."

"Did you get a copy of the report?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, of course," Ducky said, "Jethro, where is all of this coming from?"

"Can I see it?" Gibbs asked, though it was more of a demand.

"What is it you want to find?" Ducky questioned, "What are you looking for? If it's some sort of closure you're not going to find it by brooding in basements or obsessing over autopsy reports."

"Duck, humor me," Gibbs said.

Ducky sighed and looked like he wanted to say more, but then went and grabbed the file from one of his draws. He handed it to Gibbs with a look of concern for his friend.

"Don't let it consume you, Gibbs," he said, as Gibbs read through the file.

Gibbs stared at his oldest friend for a moment before turning and walked out of the autopsy room. Ducky frowned as he watched his friend leave wondering what was going through his mind.

**

Gibbs walked into the bullpen, silencing his team, who had been speculating on what Gibbs had been doing while he was away.

"Hey boss," Tony said.

"Gibbs!" Abby squealed, McGee had called when they had seen Gibbs and she had been waiting with them. She ran over and hugged her silver haired fox.

"Hey Abs," Gibbs said, once Abby had released him.

"We were all so worried about you!" Abby said.

"Team meeting," Gibbs said, "In ten down in Abby's lab. Call Ducky."

With that he left the bullpen, off to get coffee. He was going to need it. His team stood there confused, but made their way down to Abby's lab anyway.

Ten minutes later Gibbs walked into Abby's lab where his team was waiting expectantly. He was carrying his usual coffee as well as a Caf-Pow for Abby, who grinned as he handed it to her.

"What is this about, Gibbs?" Ducky asked, "Does it have anything to do with Director Shepard's autopsy report?"

"In a way, Duck," Gibbs said. "I need you all to do something. But, whatever is said here cannot leave this room, am I clear?" They all nodded. "Vance can't be trusted. There's something he's hiding and we're going to find out what it is."

"You mean Director Vance?" Tony asked, incredulously. Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"What other Vance would he be talking about, Tony?" Ziva asked. "I do not trust him either."

"What do we do?" Abby asked.

"I want you and McGee to hack into his email," Gibbs said, "And phone records. It's going to be risky though."

"This reminds me of the time Ziva was running away from the FBI," Abby said.

"What exactly are we looking for?" McGee asked.

"Any emails or phone calls that aren't business related," Gibbs said, "Or anything that sounds suspicious."

"Right," McGee said, nodding.

"Tony, Ziva," Gibbs said, "I want the two of you to look into where Vance has been going lately. If he's been out of the State, check his schedule and make sure all meetings and times have been accounted for." Ziva and Tony nodded.

"What do you think we're going to find, boss?" Tony asked seriously. Gibbs thought for a moment.

"Hopefully, nothing," Gibbs said.

"But you don't think we'll find nothing," Tony said.

Gibbs didn't reply but it was clear what Tony had said was true.

"But remember," Gibbs said, "This all has to be done discreetly. Make sure Vance doesn't know we're checking into him."

They all nodded seriously, knowing they would all most likely be fired if Vance had any idea they were checking up on him.


	5. Chapter 5

"Damn, blocked again," McGee muttered as he typed furiously at the computer.

"Keep looking, Timmy," Abby encouraged, as she typed rapidly on her own keyboard, "We have to find some dirt on Vance."

"Do you really think there's something to find?" McGee asked.

"Well Gibbs thinks so," Abby said, "That's good enough for me."

"Yeah," McGee said, "But Gibbs was in a pretty bad state after Director Shepard… you know. What if he's finally lost it and is just getting paranoid?"

"McGee!" Abby said, scandalised. She hit him on the arm and he winced. "Don't say things like that! If the boss's gut is churning then we shall listen!"

"Fine, sorry," McGee said, "I was just saying. Whoa, we're in." Abby bounced over to McGee's computer to read what he was looking at.

"Vance's private email," she said, "If he finds out we're reading these we're toast."

"That's why we were careful while hacking in," McGee said, "To make sure we didn't leave a trace."

"Isn't Oshimida the code word the Director, Gibbs and Decker used?" Abby asked, scanning the emails.

"Yeah," McGee frowned. "There's quite a few from the same email account with the subject 'Operation Oshimida'."

"Can you trace the account?" Gibbs asked. Both Abby and McGee jumped at the sound of Gibbs' voice, they hadn't realised he had been standing there.

"Uh, how long have you been standing there, boss?" McGee asked.

"Long enough," Gibbs smirked. "Can you trace it?"

"We can try, oh great one," Abby said, smiling as he handed her the Caf-Pow he had been holding.

"Call me when you're done," he said, before leaving.

**

Gibbs returned to the bullpen, thankful they had no cases at the moment. Tony and Ziva were still looking through Vance's schedule, which they had managed to get out of Cynthia, who wasn't nearly as loyal to the new Director as she had been to Jenny. They were looking through it down in autopsy, in case Vance came down to the bullpen.

Gibbs sat down at his desk. He was deep in thought. Could Vance somehow have been involved in Jenny's death? Did he know something? Gibbs remembered how Vance had been the first at the scene. No one besides him had actually seen the body. It hadn't seemed particularly odd at the time, but now it only made Gibbs more suspicious.

If Vance had anything to do with Jenny's death he was going to pay.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when his phone rang. He saw the caller ID belonged to Abby and he picked up.

"Have you done it?" he asked.

"We can't find a name to who the account is registered to," Abby said, "But it was set up in an internet café in Los Angeles."

"Good job, Abs," Gibbs said.

"We can keep working to try and find who set it up," Abby said.

"Okay," Gibbs said. "Call me when you have something."

He hung up only to receive another call, this time from DiNozzo.

"Hey boss," Tony said.

"You got something for me?" Gibbs asked.

"What, no hello?" Tony asked jokingly.

"To the point, DiNozzo," Gibbs said.

"The only place Vance has been in the last few weeks is LA," Tony said, "He had a whole afternoon free on one day. We called his driver and found out he went to a hospital. He told the driver he was with a friend and told him to leave until he called."

"How long was he there?" Gibbs asked.

"The driver doesn't know," Tony said, "Apparently, Vance came back to the hotel by himself later that night."

"Good job, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, "Look through patient records to see if anyone is connected to Vance."

"Right, boss," Tony replied, before Gibbs hung up.


	6. Chapter 6

Tony and Ziva went down to Abby's lab. It was about eight o'clock at night now and most agents had gone home, with the exception of some working cases. Cynthia had just called saying Vance was leaving.

"Where's Gibbs?" Abby asked.

"He hasn't come back yet?" Tony asked. They had all assumed he'd gone for coffee.

"Nope," McGee said.

"It doesn't take that long to get coffee," Ziva said. "He's been gone for half an hour now."

"He's not answering his phone," Ducky said, as he hung up his own phone after trying.

"I'll go up and check his desk," Tony said, "I'll see if his things are gone."

Tony left and returned about five minutes later.

"His things are gone," Tony said.

"Maybe he went home," McGee suggested.

"Why?" Abby asked, "He'd want to know what we've found."

"I called Gibbs and told him about Vance being in LA," Tony said, "Before he left."

"We traced the email account Vance has been in contact with to LA," Abby said.

"Does Gibbs know?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, I called him about half an hour ago," Abby said.

"Well maybe he knows what's going on," McGee said, "Maybe he figured it out."

"He knows something we don't," Ziva said.

"Okay," Tony said, "Lets go through what we've got and maybe we'll figure out what he knows."

They all decided to meet in the evidence garage to make sure no one would know what was going on. Tony and Ziva went out to get Chinese takeout. When they returned with the food Ducky, Abby and McGee were waiting for them.

"Okay," Tony said, putting the food down, "We know Gibbs knows something we don't. What have you found out, Abs?"

"Well," Abby said, "McGee and I traced the email account. It's being accessed and was set up from an internet café in LA. They've sent about ten emails in total. It started about three weeks ago."

"Vance was in LA a week ago," Ziva said, "He was conducting business except on one day. He was driven to a hospital by his driver but then told him to leave. He turned up back at the hotel later that night."

"What did those emails say, Abby?" Ducky asked.

"Well the most recent one said 'Everything is fine. She can't remember a thing.'" Abby said.

"Have you managed to trace the patient Vance was visiting?" Ducky asked.

"I get the feeling you're catching onto something, Ducky," Tony said.

"I think I may be," Ducky said. "We need to trace that patient. Can we search for patients through their injuries?"

"I suppose so," Abby said.

"We need to search for patients admitted in the last three weeks," Ducky said, "With gun-shot wounds."

"Oh my god," Abby said, "You think it's Director Shepard?"


	7. Chapter 7

Gibbs made his way out of the airport, one thing in mind. He was so sure now that Vance was hiding something and he knew the only way to find it was to come to Los Angeles. He needed to see if his suspicions were true. He needed to know if Jenny was still alive.

He hailed a cab and made his way to the hospital. He knew he shouldn't have just left his team without saying anything but he didn't want to share it if it wasn't true. He could just be getting paranoid and suspicious. He had always been a man of few words, and he wouldn't have even known where to begin.

It took about thirty minutes to get to the hospital. He paid the cab driver and then entered the large white building. He found the reception easily and approached the desk. A woman with blonde hair who looked to be in her early twenties was sitting there typing away at a computer.

"Can I help you?" she asked, sounding bored.

"I need to find a patient," Gibbs said, "She was checked in about three weeks ago with gunshot wounds."

"Are you family?" the woman asked. Gibbs flashed his badge. Her eyes widened for a minute before she typed something into the computer. "There was a woman here with gunshot wounds. She had amnesia when she woke up. She checked out with some guy last week." This confirmed Gibbs' suspicions.

"What was her name?" Gibbs asked.

"Jenny Sharp," the woman replied. His heart leapt at this.

"Who was the man with her?" Gibbs asked.

"Um…I think his name was Leon or something," the woman said, "I think he knew her. They left together."

"Do you have any idea where she could be?" Gibbs asked, getting impatient.

"How am I supposed to know?" the woman said.

"What are her details?" Gibbs said, he was frustrated now, he had to find her.

"Um," the woman said, typing something on the computer, "There's no address listed but she has a place of work."

"What's the address?" Gibbs asked almost before she had finished speaking. The woman told him the address and then left instantly. She looked up, confused, when she noticed he had left.

**

"Okay," Abby said, typing furiously at her computer, "We're in the hospital database."

"Good," Ducky said, "Search for female patients admitted in the last three weeks -,"

"With gunshot wounds," Abby finished for him as she typed it into the search.

"Anything?" Tony asked.

"There's one patient," Abby said triumphantly. "I'll bring her info up… whoa."

They all stared up at the screen where Abby had brought up the patient information. They were all shocked. Gibbs had been right, Vance was hiding something huge.

"Jenny Sharp," Tony read, "A kindergarten teacher from Los Angeles. Is that a massive coincidence or what?" He added the last part sarcastically.

"She was admitted three weeks ago for gunshot wounds," Abby read, "Was in a coma for three days. She woke up with amnesia."

"So Vance went there because he found out?" Tony asked.

"He was the first one at the crime scene," Ziva pointed out, "He must have found her alive and sent her to the hospital."

"Why would he hide that?" Abby asked.

"Unless," Tony said, "He wants us to think she's dead."

"But why?" Ziva asked.

**

Gibbs made his way to the address the receptionist had given him. His heard was pounding in his chest. Jenny was alive and she was here, in LA. He went to the kindergarten realising it must be closed by now.

It was a one-story building with windows plastered with finger-paintings and colourful drawings. His heart sank when he noticed it was locked up. He was about to give up and check into a hotel for the night and come back tomorrow when he noticed a light on. He crept up to the window and peeked through, registering in the back of his mind how suspicious it would look it anyone were to walk by.

Inside, sitting at a desk, was a redheaded woman. His heart almost stopped and relief flooded through his body. Jenny was alive and looked well enough, if not a little worn out. There wad no doubt that this woman was Jenny.

He was just deciding how to get in without scaring her half to death when she looked up. Her green eyes met his blue and she frowned.

Jenny was startled when she saw the strange man at the window. She frowned when their eyes met. He didn't seem like he meant any harm. There was something so familiar about him, she recognised him but just couldn't place her finger on it. This frustrated her.

She had been having feelings for the last few weeks. When she had woken up she hadn't remembered who she was, not even her own name. A man had come to visit, saying he was a friend. Leon. He had told her about her life and who she was. Though, something felt so wrong. She hadn't felt like she belonged in this life. But seeing this man at the window she knew he knew her.

She walked to the door and exited the building, walking around to where he was standing.

"Jen," he said.

His voice evoked a memory within her but it was gone before she could make any sense of it. Seeing this silver-haired man was the first time she felt like it was something she knew that was real, not just someone telling her things.

"I know you," she said, frowning whilst trying to figure it out.

"Yes," he said.

"How?" she demanded.

"Maybe we should go somewhere to talk," he said. She thought for a second before nodding, she felt like she could trust him.


	8. Chapter 8

Jenny and Jethro made their way to a small, out of the way café. He thought it best they be somewhere public considering her condition. They sat in the corner at a small table and ordered two coffees.

Jenny had been watching him intently since the moment they say down. She was obviously trying hard to place him. He knew how frustrating it could be not being able to remember, especially when people who were perfect strangers kept insisting they knew you.

"Jamaican blend," she said thoughtfully, as a waitress brought them their coffee.

"The best," Gibbs said, giving a little smile.

"You still haven't told me your name," she pointed out.

"Jethro," he said, "Jethro Gibbs."

"Jethro…" she said, testing it out on her tongue. "It suits you." She ran her fingers around the rim of her cup for a minute, as if debating whether or not to say something to him. "You're… you're the one I called, aren't you?"

"Wha -," Gibbs said, before it hit him. In his basement, someone had called and hung up. He had thought it had been a wrong number of a prank call. "How did you know my number?"

"I just did," she shrugged, "It seemed like my fingers had minds of their own. I just dialled." They fell into silence as they both processed this.

"Are you from LA?" She asked, after a while.

"Washington," he said.

"How do you know me?" she asked, "You know me well, don't you? Otherwise you wouldn't have come all this way."

"We were… close," he replied trying to keep it vague.

"Oh god," she said, as a sudden thought occurred to her, "We're not married are we?"

"No," he laughed.

"Oh good," she said, relieved, "I mean not because... I mean you seem nice and all… but I would hate to have forgotten you if we were…married." She finished off awkwardly. He grinned.

"What?" she asked, cocking her head slightly.

"Just reminded me of something," he replied. She reminded him of the younger Jenny, the one he had known in Paris.

"You know," Jenny said, after a palpable silence, as he was flashing back to Paris. "You could tell me why you're here."

"I could," he agreed.

"You used to annoy me a lot, didn't you?" she asked.

"Why would you say that?" he asked with a smirk.

"I remember the feeling," she grimaced.

"Glad I could be of help," he replied.

"The man… Leon," she said, "Is he… do you know him?"

"I do," Gibbs said, "Listen, Jenny, you can't trust him."

"Why?" she frowned, "He was the one who came and visited me in the hospital. He was the one who told me who I was."

"This isn't who you are," Gibbs said, frustrated, "This is what he told you. You're not safe, Jen."

"How do I know you're not the one I shouldn't trust?" she asked accusingly.

"You trust me," he said simply. Damn him, though he was right. She couldn't explain it, but she just trusted him.

"Well you still haven't really explained anything to me," Jenny said, a hint of frustration leaking into her voice.

"Your name isn't Jenny Sharp," he said, "Its Jennifer Shepard. You come from DC, like me. We work together."

"You teach kindergarten?" she asked, with a disbelieving smirk, "I find that hard to visualize." He glared.

"You don't teach kindergarten either," Gibbs said.

"Okay…" she said slowly, "So what do I…we do?"

"We're federal agents," Gibbs said, "We work for NCIS. That's Naval -,"

"Criminal Investigative Service," she finished for him, almost instinctively.

They fell into another silence. Jenny was trying desperately to grasp at the images that seemed to whirl rapidly around her mind tauntingly. They were always just out of her reach.

"Someone is still trying to kill me," she said, "Aren't they?" She sounded a little scared.

"Yes," he replied honestly. "Leon Vance, the man you talked to, he's somehow involved. I don't know how yet, but I'll find out." She nodded, believing he would.

"Your Jen," Jenny said, not comfortable referring to the woman he had mentioned as herself yet, "She meant a lot to you, didn't she?"

"She did," Gibbs said softly.

"Help me find her again," Jenny said in an almost whisper.

She looked up at him and their eyes locked once more. She was scared, he could tell. But looking into those beautiful green eyes, he felt so much relief. He had thought he would never get to look into them again. He made a silent promise to himself in that moment. He vowed he would help her get her memory back and hunt down the people who did this to her, making them pay.


	9. Chapter 9

"That is definitely Jenny Shepard," Ziva said, as they stared at the photo on the screen displayed in front of them.

"Unless she has an identical twin sister," Tony said.

"Who is also called Jenny?" Ziva asked.

"I suppose not," Tony said.

"If Jenny's not dead then why did Vance pretend she was?" McGee asked.

"That's what we're going to find out, McGoo," Tony said.

**

"What now, Jethro?" Jenny asked.

The pair of them were still sitting in the little café they had been occupying for the last hour. Jenny felt exhausted; she had just found out so much, it was a lot to handle, especially as she was still recovering from her gunshot wounds. At least now she knew why she had gotten the gunshot wounds. Leon, or Vance, or whatever he was called had told her it was a random shooting.

"You're not safe anywhere Vance told you about," Gibbs said.

"So I suppose I can't go home," she sighed.

"You'll be home soon enough, Jen," Gibbs said, he said it softly, with the tone of promise in his voice. She knew he meant her home back in Washington; the one she had no memory of.

"I hope -," she began, but was cut short by the screeching of tyres roaring around the corner.

Gibbs pushed Jen down so that she was on the floor. He instinctively reached for his weapon, trying to shoot at whoever was targeting them as they were showered with bullets. The glass of the café rained down on them and Jen crouched on the floor, her hands covering her ears as the bullet shots rang out around them.

Gibbs got off a few shots amid the hail of bullets assaulting them, but it had all happened so quickly. Before they knew it everything went silent. Gibbs was thankful that there had been no other occupants in the café. The waitress, who had been in the back during the attack, rushed into the room with a horrified look on her face.

Gibbs reached out a hand and helped Jenny to her feet after he had put his weapon away. She looked a little shaken, but was otherwise fine.

"Oh my god," the waitress exclaimed.

Gibbs flashed her his badge in a habitual motion.

**

"He's still not answering," Tony said, after once more trying to ring their boss.

"Well that's not exactly unusual," Abby pointed out. "Maybe he's at home in his basement?"

"Do you think he knows about Jenny already?" Tony asked.

"Well he was the one who got us to search all of this," Abby said.

"Guys," McGee said, looking up from one of Abby's computers, which he had been typing furiously on. "Look at this."

"What are we looking at, McGeek?" Tony asked as they all crowded around McGee.

McGee put an image up on the screen. They all stared at it for a moment. It was a still from an airport security camera. It was of Gibbs.

"It's Gibbs," McGee said, "I was thinking about everything we know and, well, it was just an idea, but it would make sense that this would be the boss's next move. He's at the airport in Los Angeles."

**

"Are you okay?" Gibbs asked, as Jenny brushed herself off. She nodded. "We have to go. It's not safe here, they know where you are."

He grabbed her hand and almost dragged her out of the café, leaving behind a confused and slightly distraught waitress. There was nothing they could do for her now anyway; they could sort it out with the police.

"Where are we going?" Jenny asked as she and Gibbs walked down the street.

"Some place safe," Gibbs replied cryptically. Jenny inwardly groaned at his secretiveness.


	10. Chapter 10

"So the boss is in LA," Tony mused.

"Well I think that is pretty apparent," McGee said.

"He must have found Jenny," Tony continued, ignoring McGee's remark.

"It says on Jenny Sharp's hospital records," Abby said, "That she's suffering from amnesia. It's not permanent though, probably just from the trauma."

"Which means," Ziva said, "that whoever tried to kill her in the first place will still be after her."

"Well we know Vance is somehow involved," McGee said.

"What if he's the one who tried to kill her?" Tony said.

"We don't have motive for that," Ziva said.

"Yes we do," Tony said, "He got her job, didn't he?"

"I mean," Ziva said, "Why would Vance risk everything for this? It is very risky. Murdering the Director of a federal agency, if he got caught for that…"

"We have evidence that he was aware she was alive," McGee said.

"But he could probably snake his way out of that," Ziva said.

"Worm his way," Tony corrected. "But she is right, we need some really hard evidence that Vance was either behind this or directly involved if he's going to take the fall."

**

"How did you manage to set this up?" Jenny asked.

"I'm owed a few favours," Gibbs shrugged.

They were standing in front of a small private plane in an air hangar. Gibbs had called in several favours to make this happen, but he needed to get Jenny to safety under the radar. He couldn't risk Vance finding out.

"So where are we going in this?" Jenny asked, "To DC?"

"Nope," Gibbs said, walking up to the plane.

"Are you going to tell me at all?" Jenny asked, frustrated, but followed him onto the plane nonetheless.

"We're going to Mexico," Gibbs said. "Wait here, I need to make a call."

Gibbs stood a little bit away from Jenny, who was getting fed up with not knowing what was going on. The phone was picked up after three rings.

"Hey boss," Tony said.

"Dinozzo," Gibbs said, "I need -,"

"We know you're in LA," Tony said, "McGee found security footage and -,"

"Took you long enough," Gibbs said gruffly.

"Have you found her, boss? Is she alright?" Tony asked.

"She's fine," Gibbs said.

"What are you going to do now?" Tony asked.

"I'm taking her somewhere safe," Gibbs said, "I need you to look into an investigation the LAPD will be conducting at the moment, shooting at a café."

"Has someone tried to get at Director Shepard again?" Tony asked.

"Just do it," Gibbs said, he gave Tony the address of the café.

"Boss," Tony said, before Gibbs could hang up, "We've been talking about everything we've found so far and we're trying to link Vance to Jenny's… attempted murder. We're looking for concrete evidence to link him."

"Good job, Dinozzo," Gibbs said, with a small Gibbs smile on his face. "You better find something." With that he hung up.

"So tell me," Jenny said, as Gibbs came back over to where she was. "What's in Mexico?"


	11. Chapter 11

Jenny crossed her arms and glared at Gibbs, who watched her in amusement. She was angry because he wouldn't tell her what was in Mexico. She could barely remember anything about herself as it was, it's not like she needed the one person she trusted as of the moment keeping more secrets from her.

Gibbs couldn't help but notice how much she was acting like her old self already. He found her glare and fiery temper rather soothing as it meant she wasn't lost. He couldn't handle losing her again, he just couldn't.

Jenny had been slightly nervous when the plane had taken off, but had relaxed a short time afterwards. They were currently cruising towards their destination.

"So you're really not going to tell me why we're going to Mexico are you?" she asked, brushing a piece of red hair out of her face.

"Nope," he replied. She huffed and leaned back in her seat.

A few minutes later he noticed her frowning, though she seemed to be thinking about something. She was concentrating and tilted her head to the side slightly.

"Jen…?" he said, concern lacing his voice.

"I just remember…something," Jenny replied, then sighed.

"What was it?" Gibbs asked.

"I was in an air hangar like before," Jenny said, "There was another man too with a gun… then you came out of the boot of a car with a gun…but the man driving the car was dead… I know it sounds ridiculous." She shook her head, clearly frustrated. He grinned. "What?" she asked, annoyed.

"About three years ago," Gibbs said, "You were abducted by a man, his brother had, ah, died in out custody and he demanded we make a switch. We had to improvise with the car, pretending he was driving."

"So it was real?" she asked, the hint of a smile forming on her lips.

"Yep," Gibbs nodded. She smiled.

"How did you make it look like the dead brother was driving the car?" she asked.

"We taped his hands to the steering wheel," Gibbs said, chuckling. Jenny laughed too.

Gibbs was reminded so much of a younger more carefree Jenny in Paris in that moment. He had to remind himself that everything would go back to how it was before when this was all over. That made him sad, almost losing Jenny again had made him realise how much he needed her.

**

"Dammit," Tony muttered, rubbing his temples.

"We're hitting a dead end," Ziva said. Tony glared at her. "Was that not right?"

"The saying was right, Zee-vah," Tony said, "It just wasn't very helpful."

"Fighting is not the right way to go about this," Abby said.

"Well what is the right way, Abs?" Tony asked, his tone a little harsher than intended, "I'd really like to know what we could possibly do now."

"Tony," Ziva said, "Stop snapping at everyone. It is not our fault."

"Sorry," Tony mumbled, "The boss is going to kill us."

"Why is that, Agent Dinozzo?" Vance asked, as he breezed into Abby's lab, where they had been working.

"Uh… cos the coffee shop is out of his favourite blend," Tony answered weakly. Vance raised an eyebrow but didn't question him.

"Where is Gibbs?" Vance asked.

"We thought you knew, Director," Abby said, pretending not to know.

"Has he contacted any of you?" Vance asked. They shared a look.

"No," Tony said. "We haven't been able to get a hold of him."

"If he calls," Vance said, "I want to know. Get back to work."

Vance walked out of the room and they all remained silent until the elevator doors had shut behind him.

"That was close," Abby said.

"Too close," Ziva said, "Perhaps we should be more careful?"

"Definitely," Tony said.

"Where is McGee?" Ziva asked.

"He's trying to get some information on that investigation the LAPD are doing," Abby replied.

"If Gibbs calls again and we have nothing," Tony said, "We're dead."

"Timmy will get it," Abby said.

"I just hope Gibbs knows what he is doing with Jenny," Ziva said, "She's still not safe."

"Of course he does," Abby said, "He's Gibbs, he knows everything."


	12. Chapter 12

Franks lay peacefully on the hammock outside his little house on the beach. The cool evening breeze rocked the hammock gently from side to side. He sipped the warm beer in his hand as he watched the deep blue waves crash softly against the shore. He revelled in the silence that surrounded him, this was the life.

The silence was broken, however, by the distant sound of two people arguing. Franks grumbled and waited for them to pass, but the noise kept getting louder. He cursed under his breath and sat up to see who was interrupting his siesta. Two people were walked up the path leading to his house. They were two people he recognised very well.

**

"Honestly," Jenny said, exasperatedly, "Why won't you just tell me where we're going?"

"Just be patient, Jen," Gibbs said, as he walked along the path.

"I just don't see why you can't tell me," she said, following him.

"We're almost there," Gibbs said, "You'll be safe here."

"Great," she said, her tone laced with sarcasm, "I'll be safe but I don't even know where I am or who I'm with." Gibbs shot her a look.

"Oh don't give me that look," Jenny snapped, "I've seen it all too often in the last day and I'm sure a lot more before that."

Jenny hadn't noticed that Gibbs had stopped abruptly and so she was stopped in her tracks as she bumped into him from behind. She stepped back sheepishly as he turned to look at her questioningly.

"We're here," he said simply.

Jenny looked up at the house looming ahead in her vision. It was small and slightly run down and she wondered how she could possibly be safer here than in DC. It was situated right on the beach and looked isolated, though, so she supposed it would be.

A man who she hadn't noticed before got up off a hammock which hung out the front of the house. He looked to be somewhat older than Gibbs, though not by too much, and had a scraggly grey beard. He looked like he had need of a shower and a shave more than anything.

Gibbs smirked as he approached him and Jenny watched curiously. She wondered how they knew each other.

"You and your lady Director gotten into some more trouble, Probie?" the man asked.

"Depends how you look at it," Gibbs replied.

"Or maybe this time when you retired," the man said, smirking, "You thought you'd miss the 'job' too much and brought her with you."

"It's good to see you, Mike," Gibbs said, ignoring the last comment.

Jenny stood back a little bit as they exchanged their somewhat unconventional greetings. She could tell that he and Gibbs knew each other well. Clearly Gibbs trusted him without question.

"So," Franks said, "I'm assuming this isn't just a friendly visit. What's going on, Gunny?"

Jenny listened as Gibbs explained the situation briefly. He skimmed over some details, just giving the general over view of the events leading to their arrival in Mexico. She wondered whether he was leaving out details because of the man or because she was there.

Obviously, she had known this man too at some point as he looked at her sympathetically; well at least she thought it was sympathy in his eyes, after Gibbs had explained.

"Why is it you always come to me for these things?" Franks asked rolling his eyes. He walked back over to his hammock and sat down on it, retrieving his beer. Gibbs knew this was his sign of approval for them to stay. He had never been one for words.

"Jenny," Gibbs said, "This is Mike Franks, former NCIS agent."

"Taught him everything he knows," Franks said smugly from his place on the hammock.

"You were his student?" Jenny asked, smirking.

Gibbs nodded and sat down on the steps near where Mike sat on the hammock. Jenny sat down on the steps as well. She felt a little uncomfortable in this unfamiliar situation, but then again, she had been having that feeling since she found herself waking up in a hospital room not too long ago.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi everyone!**

**I apologise for the lack of updates on this fic! I know how frustrating it can be when an author just leaves it hanging! I just lost inspiration! I'm really sorry and I hope, if you guys are still interested, you'll like this next chapter! **

Jenny sighed as she watched the waves roll back and forth on the sand, leaving only dampness in their wake. The sky was twilight blue, a shade of blue Jenny had always been particularly fond, and seeing it now gave her some comfort; even if she didn't know why she liked it so much. It was endlessly frustrating for her, having these feelings without any memories to match. It was like having a word caught on the tip of your tongue. It was there, but you weren't quite able to keep it in conscious thought long enough to make any sense of it.

She knew that Gibbs was someone she trusted to immense proportions, she had known it since she first saw him staring at her. He said they had worked together for years, which would explain – especially in their profession – that trust. But, she sensed it was something more. He seemed to care about her deeply.

She thought she cared deeply for him too.

There was something about his eyes that just screamed of familiarity and intimacy to her. The way they looked when he stared at her with concern. Also in the sadness they held when she caught him gazing longingly at her. She sensed the longing was more than just her losing her memory. There was something more behind that, something in their history that saddened him.

The evening breeze was nice against her skin. She curled her toes into the soft grainy sand and found she liked the feeling. It was nice here; peaceful. Something she was sure she wasn't used to.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt the presence of someone next to her and looked over. It wasn't Gibbs as she had expected, but Franks. He studied her for a moment before speaking.

"You know," he said, "Gunny is pretty torn up about what happened."

"Why?" she asked, frowning.

"He blames himself," Franks replied with a gruff shrug. He took a sip of his beer.

"I don't really know much of what's going on," Jenny said, "But, it's not his fault. Is it?"

"Not from what I can tell," Franks said, "But he blames himself anyway. He always does when something happens to someone he's close to. It's just the way he is. He holds himself responsible for everything."

"Well," she said, "I don't really know why you're telling me this. What can I do?" she asked rather bitterly. "He won't even tell me what's going on half the time. The other half I have to pry out of him." Franks chuckled.

"Yep, that sounds like Probie all right," he said, "But that's his way of protecting you. Listen, Madame Director." She huffed at the name; getting the feeling he used it often. "I may be old fashioned. But, when he was 'retired' -,"

"He was retired?" she asked.

"Briefly," Franks said, "He was staying here with me. I mean the amount of conversations we had about 'the job', how much he missed 'the job' and so on…" Jenny raised an eyebrow. "He still has feelings for you. That's all I'm saying. So just, don't be so hard on him. It was tough on him thinking he'd lost you all over again."

With that said, Franks stood and walked away, leaving a confused Jenny to ponder his words. What had Franks meant by losing her all over again? She was just left feeling more confused than before.

**

"Oh no!" Abby said, "They were shot at again?"

"Calm down, Abs," Tony said, "They're fine. They'll be somewhere safe by now. Maybe reliving old memories -,"

"Tony," Ziva said, "Now is not the time for your fantasies about Gibbs and the Director."

"I'm just saying," Tony said, putting his hands up. "What? Like you all don't wonder what went on between them back in the good old days." They all stared at him.

"Anyway," McGee said, "I managed to get the file about the shooting at the address Gibbs gave you, Tony. It's an open investigation, obviously."

"Anything more than that, Probie-Wan Kenobi?" Tony asked.

"I was just getting to that, Tony," McGee said, giving him a brief glare over his shoulder before going back to his rapid typing. "According to the woman working the register at the time, a car or van just came out of nowhere and shot at them. She mentioned there was an agent of some sort there who flashed his badge, he was with a redhead."

"That's obviously Jenny and Gibbs," Ziva said.

"They don't really have many leads," McGee said, "Whoa, hold on a second."

"What's going on?" Tony asked.

"That's odd," McGee said, "The case has just been closed."

"What?" Abby said, coming to stand besides McGee.

"Apparently it has a connection to a pending operation with…" McGee said, "NCIS."

"So, Vance took the case?" Tony asked.

"Sounds like a cover-up to me," Abby commented.

"He's definitely trying to hide something," McGee said.

"If Vance knows about the shooting," Ziva said, "Or even if he orchestrated it, that means he knew Gibbs was with Jenny. Or he at least does now." They all exchanged a look.

**Once again, sorry for the massive delay!! **

**Feel free to leave a review *wink* on your way out. **

**ZS**


	14. Chapter 14

**Yeah… no comment on the amount of time between updates… Enjoy. **

"Where is Agent Gibbs?" an irate Vance growled, storming into Abby's lab. His face was like thunder and all four of them looked like little children whose hands had been caught in the cookie jar. He stood in front of them glowering.

"Uh… we don't know," Tony offered feebly.

"I find it hard to believe," Vance said, rolling his eyes, "That Agent Gibbs took off suddenly and hasn't contacted any of you since."

"Gibbs doesn't really go by the whole keeping your team informed philosophy," Tony said. Vance shot him a look.

"This is important," he said, "If you're withholding information from me pertaining to his whereabouts there will be serious consequences." McGee gulped audibly.

"Why is it so important, Director?" Ziva asked, pointedly.

The question had an underlying meaning that was palpable to all present in the lab. It was a loaded question and Vance knew it. She had intended it to be. He couldn't really answer without giving something away about Jenny or the possibly incriminating activities he was somehow connected to.

"If he contacts you," he ground out, "I want to be the first to know."

He left the room after his demand, leaving the four of them in silence until they heard the 'ding' of the elevator. McGee and Abby exhaled and all four of them exchanged worried glances.

"He knows," Tony said, "He knows Gibbs has been in contact with us."

"Of course he does," Ziva said, "He just can't prove it…yet."

"If that's true," McGee pointed out, "We don't have much time before he finds some way of preventing us from helping Gibbs."

"He's also getting desperate," Ziva added, "He knows Gibbs has found Jenny."

"That must be screwing up his plans nicely," Tony smirked.

"We don't _know _that he's behind any of this," Ziva pointed out.

"Come on, Zee-vah," Tony said, "The evidence against him is pretty damning."

"We had better hope so," Ziva said.

**

Gibbs was sitting on the beach staring out at the ocean. The sun was just rising above the blue horizon casting a spectacular array of oranges, yellows and reds in its wake. He briefly remembered sitting with Jenny watching the sun rise from the balcony of their hotel room what now seemed like a lifetime ago. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the memories. Reminiscing about their past wasn't going to help him get to the bottom of this mess.

"Good morning," her voice cut through his thoughts, as she sat down beside him in the sand. Her voice sounded surprisingly cheerful.

He looked over at her as she sat observing him quietly. Her legs were drawn up in front of her, her arms wrapped around them, and her head was resting on her knees. Her red hair was blowing haphazardly around her face in those curls that felt so good running through his finger. Her green eyes sparkled in amusement as he continued to watch her.

She had no makeup on and was dressed in an oversized shirt that he assumed she had borrowed from Mike and the jeans she had been wearing yesterday; her feet were bare in the sand, no stilettos… she had never looked so beautiful.

"Are you going to speak?" she asked, amused, "Or are you just going to stare at me all day?"

"Morning," he said roughly, clearing his throat. She giggled. "You seem to be in a good mood." He added.

"I am," she announced, thoughtfully, "I suppose. It's this place, it's so peaceful."

"We should probably get you some proper clothes," he said, after noticing the shirt.

"So we're planning on staying here for a substantial amount of time?" she asked, hopefully trying to coax some information out of him.

"You are," he said, smirking at her adorable little frown. He stood up and headed towards the cabin, knowing she would follow.

"What does that mean?" she asked, getting up and trailing after him as he had predicted.

"I need to go back to DC," he informed her.

"And I don't get to go with you?" she asked, annoyed, "This involves me, Jethro. I deserve to be apart of it."

"It's too dangerous for you to come back just yet," he said. "You need to lay low until we've figured out exactly what is going on."

"But you get to go off?" she said, accusingly. Her good mood had vanished now.

"I need to get there to figure this out," he said, "There's only so much I can do over the phone."

"So while you're gone," she said, "I just get to stay here with your – whatever he is – and twiddle my thumbs idly?"

"You don't need to twiddle your thumbs if you don't want to," he said with a smirk.

"You're so infuriating," she said, before storming off in a huff.

He should have predicated her reaction. He knew she wouldn't want to be left out while he went off pursuing leads. He just didn't think it was safe for her to go playing agent now in the current situation, considering she was supposed to be dead and the current Director may have been involved in it, not to mention the fact that she had amnesia.

She subsequently ignored him for the rest of the morning, sparking up a conversation with Mike whenever he did try to talk to her. He found it frustrating she was taking such a childish stance against his decision. Didn't she understand how much danger she was in? Someone had already attempted to kill her twice. He was only trying to protect her.


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks so much for your reviews. I hope everyone is having a great year so far. **

"Jen…" Gibbs said, sitting down next to her, beer in hand.

Jenny huffed softly and crossed her arms over her chest, turning her body away from him indicating she was still angry with him.

"Are you going to keep this up until I leave?" he asked, amused despite his annoyance.

She didn't give him an answer, instead stood and – not before pointedly throwing a dirty look in his direction – walked a short distance up the beach, setting herself down in the warm sand. He watched her go, the urge to follow and wrap his arms around her rising within him. She looked so small and vulnerable sitting there gazing out at the ocean.

He tore his eyes away from her when he heard Mike chuckle heartily beside him, sipping on his own beer. He clapped a hand on his former Probie's shoulder.

"That's what ya get for messing around with your lady director, gunney," he said. Gibbs shot him a look.

"I'm doing this for her own good," he pointed out.

"She doesn't see it that way," Mike said. "You should know she doesn't like being muscled out. She may have lost her memory but she's still the same fiery redhead."

"It's too dangerous for her back in DC, Mike," Gibbs said, "I don't know how involved Vance is in this yet… but my gut tells me he's not an innocent spectator. She'll be safe, even if she does hate me."

A little way down the shoreline Jenny sat facing the deep blue ocean, watching the waves lap gently against the dampened sand. She was slowly picking up handfuls of sand and then proceeding to let it slide through her fingers, relishing the feel of the warm grains against her skin. She cast a look back in Gibbs' direction, noticing he was talking to Mike.

She wasn't really angry with him, not really. She was more annoyed. She understood that from his perspective he was simply doing what was best to protect her. But, didn't he understand what she was feeling too? Didn't he see how she hated being left out of things that involved her so directly?

She frowned as an image of something flashed through her mind. She got the feeling it wasn't the first time Gibbs had undermined her. He must have been endlessly frustrating to her when they worked together.

**

"Are you leaving soon?" she asked, poking her head meekly into his room. He nodded. She walked into the room and sat on the bed, watching him. "Jethro…"

"Jen," he said, sitting beside her, "I'm sorry… for just assuming I could make a decision about this situation and expect you to accept it." She smiled softly. "It's just…" his voice was thick with emotion and she cocked her head, waiting for him to continue. "I can't loose you again. I won't. You mean too much to me, more than you know."

She was momentarily stunned, not expecting such a confession from him of all people. Their eyes met – blue on green – and he stared at her with such intensity and emotion she was somewhat overwhelmed. She felt flustered and she was sure she was blushing.

"Apology accepted," she said softly, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "You don't have to loose me. Help me remember her – who I am. Help me remember how to be the woman that means so much to you, the woman who inspires such intensity in your eyes…"

"You will find her, Jen," he said. "But please, for now I need you to be safe."

"I am safe, Jethro," she said, he was clinging to her hand as though she would disappear at any given moment. "I'm safest when I'm with you. Stop treating me like I'm going to break, I'm not going to fall apart. You're the person I trust the most. I know that just by being with you… you'll protect me." He nodded slowly.

"Alright," he said, "I won't go home without you… not again."

**

"I don't know how you talked me into this," Mike grumbled, Jenny giggled softly.

The three of them were sitting in the small cargo plane that somehow Gibbs had managed to get them on – another favour she supposed. They were en route to DC where they could finally get to the bottom on this.

"Blame Jenny," Gibbs said, smirking, "She's the one who talked me into it."

"But why do I have to be here?" Mike asked, running a hand through his hair.

"I need someone I trust to stay with Jen while I'm at NCIS," Gibbs said.

"You made the shortlist," Jenny added.

"Glad to know I have a fan," Mike said.

"Gibbs' shortlist," she said, amusement sparkling in her eyes.


	16. Chapter 16

**Yay, another update… I hope you all like it. Thank you for your lovely reviews. They keep me going. : )**

It was late afternoon and Gibbs' team were all up in the bullpen catching up on paperwork. Vance seemed to be 'casually' strolling along the catwalk more and more frequently. He'd stare at them suspiciously, before disappearing back into either MTAC or his office only to emerge ten or fifteen minutes later to repeat the process. He was taking the term 'watching like a hawk' to new levels.

None of them had heard from Gibbs for a substantial amount of time and they were beginning to get concerned. They knew that he believed in sharing as little information as possible at the best of times, but they were worried something might have happened to him and the Director.

"Good evening, colleagues," Abby said, coming into the bullpen. All three of them looked up at her. "I am simply here to bid you all a good night… I don't have an ulterior motive… it's not like we're not all worried about a certain silver haired fox and his redheaded fox out in the big bad world alone together with people trying to kill them and we haven't heard from them -,"

"Abby, take a breath," Ziva suggested.

"Right," Abby said, casting a glance up at the catwalk, where the Director had appeared moments ago. "So, uh, goodnight everyone… I'll, um, see you all tomorrow." The three of them bid her goodnight before discreetly packing up there things also and disappearing for the night.

As they were all leaving the building, Tony's phone began ringing. They all stopped and stared at him pointedly. He retrieved his phone and answered it.

"_Dinozzo," _he heard Gibbs' gruff voice and felt a surge of relief rush through him. He could see the same relief etched onto his colleague's faces too when they heard his response.

"Hey boss," Tony said, "We were getting worried. Is Director Shepard -,"

"_She's fine," _Gibbs cut him off. Tony nodded and smiled at the others so they knew she too was fine.

"Vance is getting suspicious, boss," Tony said, "I think he knows -,"

"_My house," _Gibbs simply said, cutting him off again, before hanging up. Tony glared at the phone for a few moments before sighing and putting it back in his pocket.

"New plan," he addressed the others, "We're going to Gibbs' house."

"Why, is there some information there he wants us to get?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know," Tony shrugged, "He didn't say."

**

Gibbs went back downstairs to the basement to see Jenny and Mike fighting like children. They, much to his amusement, had actually started getting along surprisingly well. Even though they bickered constantly, Gibbs could tell that Mike was fond of Jenny and felt the need to protect her.

Jenny had found herself growing begrudgingly fond of Mike Franks. He was frustrating and behaved just like Gibbs – as though she were going to break at any moment – but he was nice enough and she could tell he was a good man. But, between the two of them, she was surprised she was even allowed to walk down the stairs by herself. She didn't want to bring the issue up either for fear of them actually getting ideas about accompanying her down stairs.

"Tell your lady Director here that she needs to take it easy," Mike said. Jenny scowled.

"Tell Mike that I am capable of taking care of myself," Jenny said, crossing her arms.

"Team will be here soon," Gibbs said, ignoring their fighting. "Will you be okay, Jen? I mean, you won't remember them and -,"

"Jethro," she said, sighing in frustration, "I'll be fine. It's not as though they're the ones trying to kill me. Besides, maybe it will help with my memory." She stood up. Both Mike and Gibbs stood up too, and she couldn't help but giggle softly.

"What are you doing?" Mike asked.

"I'm going upstairs to use the bathroom," Jenny said, in amusement. "Now, I'm perfectly fine climbing the stairs by myself. Unless, of course, you feel the need to carry me." She shot an annoyed look at Gibbs.

"Well…" he said, that didn't sound like such a bad idea.

"Jethro!" she said, noticing the smirk on his face. "I was joking." She added, walking off as Mike chuckled. This over-protective act was getting old quickly, however endearing it was.

"If he doesn't want to," Mike called out, "I'll be happy to oblige!"

**

Gibbs looked up when he heard multiple footsteps on the stairs and instinctively grabbed his gun, Mike jumped up from the couch he had been residing on too. They both relaxed when they saw his team – plus Abby and Ducky – emerge in the doorway.

"Gibbs!" Abby squealed, once reaching the bottom of the stairs, and rushed to give him a bone-crushing hug.

"Hey, Abs," Gibbs said, patiently waiting for her to release him.

"Hi boss," Tony said, grinning. Gibbs slapped him on the head in his usual fashion. "What was that for?"

"All of the head slaps you missed while I was gone," Gibbs said, smirking. Tony rubbed the back of his head pouting.

"Franks!" Abby said, also giving him a tight squeeze. "I didn't know you were here!"

"Well, I couldn't leave Jenny alone with this one, now could I?" Mike chuckled, gesturing at Gibbs.

"Speaking of Jennifer…" Ducky said, looking around, in confusion.

They all turned to Gibbs for an explanation. Gibbs opened his mouth to say something when he spotted her at the top of the stairs. They all noticed him staring and swivelled round to see the woman who, only a few days ago they had thought was lost forever, standing up in the doorway.


	17. Chapter 17

**I had fun writing this chapter. Thanks again for all of your wonderful reviews!! **

Gibbs couldn't help but notice that, despite her brushing off his concerns before, she did look a little intimidated by the group of people staring up at her from his basement. He supposed it was only natural to feel this way in a situation such as this. She brushed a lock of red hair behind her ear before walking delicately down the stairs, all eyes were on her and everyone remained silent, the only sound was her heels clicking softly on the steps. Her short journey down the stairs seemed much longer than it really was as they watched the friend who, until recently, they had thought dead, as though making sure she was really there and not some hallucination or cruel joke.

"Jenny!" Abby squealed, the first to break the silence as Jenny reached the basement floor. She threw herself into Jenny's arms and Gibbs couldn't help but notice the small wince of pain that flashed across Jenny's face – she had been shot not that long ago after all. "I'm so glad you're okay! I missed you so much when you were gone and Vance is so _ugh_, I just want to take his toothpicks and poke them in his eyes sometimes! Oh, and I wanted to tell you that I like the way you dress, it's really classy, you know?" Abby rambled at lightning speed, the words spilling together.

"Abs…" Gibbs said, gently prising the Goth's arms from Jenny's form. "She doesn't remember…" Abby's face instantly fell.

"Oh! I forgot," Abby said, "Don't worry, you're our fearless leader! You'll get your memories back, we'll all help you. I'm Abby, forensic scientist."

"You… hug people a lot, don't you?" Jenny asked. Gibbs noted with contentment that she seemed a little more at ease.

"Yes!" Abby said, her thousand-watt-smile reappearing on her face, as she launched into another small excited rant. "You remember? I hug people all the time but then that lady came and talked in that sexual harassment seminar we had to go to and apparently I'm not supposed to touch people without their permission… you don't mind, do you? You never used to, except that time when we couldn't retrieve information off that phone about La Grenouille and you were _really _angry but I forgive you because that was a tough time and -,"

"Abs, slow down," Gibbs said, not able to resit smirking at Jen's look of confusion.

"I'm sorry, Abby," Jenny said, her frustrations of not being able to remember bubbling back to the surface.

"It's okay, you will," Abby said confidently.

"Abigail," Ducky said, "Jennifer will remember things in her own time. Hello, my dear, it's good to see you well again. I'm Dr Donald Mallard, ME, but everyone calls me Ducky. We've worked together many times over the years. In fact, I have quite a few stories I could tell -,"

"Another time," Gibbs finished for him, knowing Ducky would start off in another of his stories if he didn't interfere. "This is Dinozzo, McGee and -,"

"Ziva," Jenny said instinctively, her eyes widening in surprise at her uttering.

"Shalom, Jenny," Ziva said.

"That just came to me," Jenny said, smiling proudly.

"How come she remembers Ziva and not me?" Abby said sulkily.

"These things are unpredictable, Abigail," Ducky soothed. "You have to give it time."

"But -," Abby protested, but Gibbs cut her off.

"There'll be time for this," Gibbs said, "when we figure everything out. The most important thing at hand is protecting Jen and finding out who tried to kill her."

**

They had ordered Chinese take-out and set up 'head-quarters' in Gibbs' basement. They shared information, getting everyone up to speed on the current situation and the events that had occurred. The team also filled Gibbs in on Vance's particularly suspicious behaviour.

Abby had also appeared to be especially attached to Jenny tonight, sitting closely by her side during the conversation. Apparently, almost loosing the 'mommy' of the team had hit Abby hard and she refused to let Jenny get hurt again. Jenny was gracious enough to allow Abby to fawn over her, appearing to understand and accept the girl's need.

They had discussed the possible plans of action and theories as to who was behind this. They agreed upon an initial plan of action that involved the team returning to the office the next day to dig deeper into Vance's files – as risky as it was, it seemed the only way they could connect Vance to the attempted killing.

They had gradually fallen asleep in the basement, leaning against the couch and – in Tony and Ziva's case – each other, none of them wanting to leave Jenny, even if she was protected by both Gibbs and Franks.

Gibbs sipped his bourbon at his workbench, watching Jenny. She was sitting on the couch next to Franks, who was snoring loudly and Abby. Abby was lying on her side curled up with her head in Jenny's lap, sleeping soundly. Jenny was softly stroking the Goth's hair, he wondered whether she was consciously doing this or not because by the look in her eyes, she was off somewhere else entirely.

She seemed to become aware of someone watching her, however, and snapped back to reality. She looked down at the young woman and smiled gently before looking back at him. He held up the jar of bourbon, inviting her over.

Jenny carefully slipped off the couch, making sure to hold Abby's head before gently placing it back on the couch so as not to disturb her. She then made her way quietly over to the workbench, sitting down beside him. Jenny grabbed the jar of bourbon from him and he had to catch his breath as he felt her hand brush his own and hoped she hadn't heard the involuntary sound. If she did, she didn't mention it.

She sipped the bourbon delicately, taking a moment to savour the feel of the amber liquid rolling down her throat before turning her eyes to him. He watched her throat as she swallowed, transfixed by the sight of her bare flesh.

"Abby seems so… vulnerable," Jenny said, causing him to snap back to reality at the sound of her voice.

"She can get emotional," Gibbs shrugged, "Thinking you were gone was hard for her." Jenny nodded slowly.

"Are they always so… exuberant?" she said, choosing her words carefully.

"That's why I head-slap them," Gibbs said, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Jenny frowned and for a moment he thought she might be in pain, but then he saw the slow smile creep across her face.

"Jen…?" he asked, confused.

"The sexual harassment seminar," Jenny said, grinning, "The woman told Abby she had to ask permission before hugging people and that your head-slapping is inappropriate behaviour."

Gibbs smirked. His memory of the seminar was more of the way Jenny had been sitting alluringly on the bench next to him, and him thinking up all of the red light behaviour things he could do to her.


End file.
